Breathing God In and Out
I don’t pay much attention to my breathing---until I can’t get my breath!! I’ll stop running, (or in these days stop moving more quickly than normal!), when breathing becomes difficult. But I have to admit that about the only time I pay attention to breathing is when I can’t or it’s hard.
But that is certainly not the only time I need to be breathing. I don’t know what the average number of breaths we take in a minute’s time, but what I do know is that without breathing we are dead. The gift of breath is the gift of life. A baby needs to breathe after being born even if that first breath is a cry!
God has given us breath to sustain life. When we breathe we are participating with God in the life he has given to us. We are worshiping God with every breath we take whether we know it or not. Pause now for a moment and take a deep breath in and then slowly let it out. Do this again—slowly. Feel good? Feel God? The act of breathing is an act of worship, it is being in constant communion with our Creator God. The hymn writer, Edwin Hatch, penned it beautifully:
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love,
and do what thou wouldst do.
Breathe on me, Breath of God,
until my heart is pure,
until with thee I will one will,
to do and to endure.
Prayer:
With each breath I take, receive my thanks O Lord. Amen
Pastor Jerry
Tomorrow: Tasting the Goodness of God
